Analysis of

William
Shakespeare's Hamlet
1600—1601
 Hamlet is one of the
greatest Shakespearean
tragedies. The eternal
questions raised in the text
are of concern to humanity
to this day. Conflicts of love,
topics related to politics,
reflections on religion: all the
main intentions of the
human spirit are collected in
this tragedy. Shakespeare's
plays are both tragic and
realistic, and the images
have long become eternal in
world literature. Perhaps
this is where their greatness
lies.
 Hamlet returns to his native castle of Elsinore to attend his father's funeral. He learns from
soldiers serving at court of a ghost that comes to them at night and resembles the dead king in
outline. Hamlet decides to go to meet the unknown apparition, a further encounter that terrifies
him. The ghost reveals to him the true cause of his death and bids his son seek revenge. The Danish
prince is confused and on the verge of madness. He does not understand whether he has actually
seen his father's spirit, or whether the devil has visited him from the depths of hell.
 The hero ponders what has happened for a
long time and finally decides to find out for himself
if Claudius is really guilty. To do this, he asks a
troupe of actors to perform the play The Murder of
Gonzago to see how the king reacts. During a key
moment in the play, Claudius becomes ill and
leaves, at which point the ominous truth is revealed.
All the while Hamlet pretends to be insane, and
even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who have been
sent to him, have been unable to discover from him
the true motives behind his behavior. Hamlet
intends to speak to the Queen in her chambers and
accidentally kills Polonius, who had hidden behind a
curtain to eavesdrop. He sees this accident as a
manifestation of the will of heaven. Claudius
realizes the criticality of the situation and tries to
exile Hamlet to England, where he is to be executed.
But this does not happen, and the dangerous
nephew returns to the castle, where he kills his uncle
and is himself killed by poison. The kingdom passes
into the hands of the Norwegian ruler Fortinbras.
 The main conflict in the play is divided into
external and internal. Its external manifestation is Hamlet's
attitude to the inhabitants of the Danish court. He considers
them all to be lowly creatures, devoid of reason, pride and
dignity.

Conflict

The inner conflict is very well expressed in the

inner feelings of the hero, his struggle with himself. Hamlet
chooses between two behavioral types: new (Renaissance)
and old (feudal).
• Composition

The main compositional outline of the tragedy consists of a story about the fate of
Hamlet. Each separate layer of the play serves to fully reveal his personality and is
accompanied by constant changes in the thoughts and behavior of the hero. Events gradually
unfold in such a way that the reader begins to feel constant tension, which does not stop even
after the death of Hamlet.
The action can be divided into five parts:
The first part is the plot. Here Hamlet encounters the ghost of his dead father, who wills him to
avenge his death. In this part, the prince encounters human treachery and meanness for the
first time. This is where his torment of the soul begins, and it does not let him go until his
death. Life becomes meaningless to him.
The second part is the development of the action. The prince decides to pretend to be insane in
order to deceive Claudius and learn the truth about his deed. He also accidentally kills the
king's advisor, Polonius. At this point he comes to the realization that he is the executor of the
higher will of heaven.
The third part is the climax. Here Hamlet is finally convinced of the guilt of the reigning king
through a play-acting ruse. Claudius realizes how dangerous his nephew is and decides to get
rid of him.
Part Four - The Prince is sent to England to be executed there. At the same moment Ophelia
goes mad and tragically dies.
The fifth part is the denouement. Hamlet avoids execution, but he has to fight Laertes. In this
part, all the main participants in the action die: Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet
himself.
• Problems

The problems covered in "Hamlet" are very broad. There are themes of love and
hate, the meaning of life and man's purpose in this world, strength and weakness, the right
to revenge and murder.

One of the main ones is the problem of
choice faced by the main character. There is much
uncertainty in his soul, and he ponders and
analyzes everything that is happening in his life for
a long time in solitude. There is no one beside
Hamlet who can help him make a decision.
Therefore, he is guided only by his own moral
attitudes and personal experiences. His
consciousness is divided into two halves. In one
half lives a philosopher and humanist, and in the
other, a man who has understood the essence of the
rotten world.
His key monologue "To be or not to be"
reflects all the pain in the hero's soul, the
tragedy of thought. This incredible inner
struggle wears Hamlet down, imposes on
him thoughts of suicide, but he is stopped
by his unwillingness to commit another
sin. The subject of death and its mystery
began to concern him more and more.
What's next? Eternal darkness or a
continuation of the suffering he endures
while alive?
• The Main Idea

The main idea of the tragedy is the

search for the meaning of existence.
Shakespeare shows a man educated,
perpetually searching, with a deep sense of
empathy for all that surrounds him. But life
forces him to face true evil in its various
manifestations. Hamlet becomes aware of it,
trying to unravel exactly how it arose and
why. He is shaken by the fact that one place
can so quickly become hell on Earth. And the
act of his revenge is to destroy the evil that has
entered his world.

Fundamental to the tragedy is the

idea that behind all this royal wrangling is the
great turning point of all European culture.
And at the tip of this turning point emerges
Hamlet, a new kind of hero. Together with the
death of all the main characters, the centuries-
old system of worldview collapses.
• The Main Characters

Hamlet – The Prince of Denmark, returns to the kingdom because of the sudden death of his father. He
ponders much about the meaning of life, is intelligent, educated, and has good luck everywhere he goes.

Claudius – King of Denmark, married Hamlet's mother immediately after his brother's funeral. A clever,
cunning, cunning man. Weaves intrigues by using people close to him. A hypocrite and a liar. Kills innocent
people because of him. Kills his own brother out of lust for power.

Horatio is Hamlet's best friend, his protector, a loyal and trustworthy man. Helps the prince to carry out all
his plans. Saves him from betrayal.

Laertes is the son of Polonius, Ophelia's brother, a young man with no mind of his own and no will of his
own. Devotedly serves King Claudius, carries out all his spy assignments

Polonius is the royal advisor, the organizer of all the intricacies of the castle, serving Claudius loyally. Hamlet
kills Polonius when, during a conversation with his mother, Polonius hides to eavesdrop.

Ophelia is Polonius' daughter, Hamlet's lover. A good, kind girl, she becomes a puppet in the hands of
Claudius and unwittingly acts against Hamlet. She sincerely loves him, but Hamlet feels betrayed.

Gertrude is Hamlet's mother, a woman who is not stupid, but weak-willed. She goes along with Claudius,
participates in a conspiracy against her own son, has no maternal love.